March 20, 2011

Peter to be honoured at TCM Film Festival

(from TCM press release)

Irish-Born Actor’s Hand and Footprints to be Enshrined in Concrete at Famed Grauman’s Chinese Theater

Celebration to Include Extensive Conversation with Robert Osborne, Plus Special Screening of O’Toole’s Oscar®-Nominated Performance in Becket (1964)
Legendary actor Peter O’Toole will be a special guest at the 2011 TCM Classic Film Festival as attendees from around the globe join TCM in honoring the Irish-born actor’s extraordinary career. Several special events are planned for the celebration, including an in-depth conversation between O’Toole and TCM host Robert Osborne and a special screening of O’Toole’s Oscar®-nominated performance in Becket (1964).

The TCM Classic Film Festival will take place April 28 - May 1 in Hollywood. As part of the festival activities, O’Toole will place his hand and footprints in cement in front of the world-famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Saturday, April 30. “Caught at last. Forensics will have my dabs forever,” O’Toole said about the honor.

On Friday, April 29, Osborne will sit down with O’Toole for an extensive conversation about his life and career for a special live taping that will air later on TCM. The conversation will be recorded in front of a live audience of festival attendees at The Music Box, the newest venue to be added to the TCM Classic Film Festival.

Also on Friday, the celebration will include a screening of Becket (1964), which earned O’Toole the second of eight Best Actor Oscar® nominations. O’Toole will introduce the film, in which he plays England’s King Henry II, whose friendship with Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket turned into a power struggle that ended with Becket’s murder. Richard Burton, who plays the title role, joined his co-star and good friend on the list of 1964’s Best Actor Oscar nominees. O’Toole took on the visage of Henry II again four years later in The Lion in Winter (1968), which marked his third Oscar nomination.

“For more than five decades, Peter O’Toole has been a commanding presence on film with his impeccable talent and artistry, all of which has only grown stronger over time,” Osborne said. “We couldn’t be more pleased that he will be with us in person in Hollywood when we celebrate his life and career at the 2011 TCM Classic Film Festival. His being with us promises to be one of the highlights of an amazing and star-studded event.”

O’Toole was born in County Galway, Ireland, and grew up in Leeds, England, the son of a bookmaker father and a Scottish-born nurse mother. After service in the Royal Navy, he became interested in theatre and acting and was accepted by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

O’Toole was in repertory at the Bristol Old Vic for three years. Followed by work at the Royal Court with the other so-called ‘angries’ and then at Stratford playing Shakespeare where, at the age of 27, his ‘Shylock’ was hailed by press and public as the finest of his generation, perhaps even of the century. Prior to Stratford he had played in a film called The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960). This film was seen by David Lean who telephoned O’Toole in Stratford. They met in London. Lean offered O’Toole the part of T.E.L. in Lawrence of Arabia. In the first major screen role of O’Toole’s career, the golden-haired, blue-eyed actor made a powerful impact on audiences as the conflicted British liaison officer caught at the center of an Arab revolt. The film also marked O’Toole’s first Oscar nomination.

Over the next 10 years, he would garner a string of nominations for performances in Becket and The Lion in Winter (1968), as well as the musical version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) and the wildly offbeat comedy The Ruling Class (1972).

O’Toole garnered his sixth Oscar nomination as a tyrannical director in The Stunt Man (1980). Two years later, he received a seventh nomination for his funny-yet-touching performance in the nostalgic My Favorite Year (1982), in which he plays a former screen idol brought out of the woodwork to guest-star on a live television comedy show in the 1950s. Since then, he has co-starred in a wide range of films, including Bernardo Bertolucci’s Oscar-winning film The Last Emperor (1987), the comedy hit King Ralph (1991) and the epic blockbuster Troy (2004).

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bestowed its Lifetime Achievement Award on O’Toole in 2003. Four years later, he was back at the Oscars with his eighth Best Actor nomination for the May-December romance Venus (2006). He continues to be extremely active, with such recent credits as Ratatouille (2007), Stardust (2007), Dean Spanley (2008), Christmas Cottage (2008) and the popular television series The Tudors.

Throughout his film career O’Toole has continued his theatre work, averaging a play every two years. He retired from the stage in 1999.

December 10, 2010

New Gallery of Photos Added

Hello all - sorry I don't get a chance to update this site that often. I've added a new gallery of images of O'Toole from around the web here:

http://realitymouse.com/otoole/pictures/otoolepics2010/

Enjoy! Remember if you find anything interesting about O'Toole, be it a link to a review, a photo, shots of him on set or performing, personal reminiscences, etc... Please feel free to send them in to me here at

August 02, 2010

Happy 78th Birthday, Peter!

While his schedule hasn't been exactly *busy* for the past few years, he continues to contribute great roles to 1-2 films a year, as well as television appearances. In the next year Peter is slated to appear in the following:

Eldorado (Narrator) - completed
Cristiada - filming
Katherine of Alexandria - filming
Mary Mother of Christ - in production
You can see more details about these films at imdb.com.

June 09, 2010

O'Toole joins cast of "Cristiada", shooting in Mexico.

Peter O'Toole joins the cast of NewLand films' epic "Cristiada", filming now in various locations around Mexico. The film is set during the 1926-29 Cristero War, the uprising that took place after the Mexican government's constitution in 1917 imposed anti-clerical provisions to remove the Catholic Church’s influence and secularize the country.

O'Toole will be working with a star-studded cast, including actors Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria and Nestor Carbonell.

May 18, 2010

Peter O'Toole Boards "The Swan Boat"

Veteran Irish actor Peter O’Toole (Venus, Goodbye Mr. Chips) and Geraldine Chaplin (Doctor Zhivago, Chaplin) will headline ‘Jennifer and the Swan Boat’, a new feature film from Palancar Company Ltd which will explore the unlikely friendship between a former ballet star and a gifted albeit mute orphan.

O’Toole will play a former ballet star who strikes up a friendship with an orphan before tutoring her to stardom. The film will be principally set in Paris’ Opera House where Geraldine Chaplin’s Marianne manages the ballet company. Casting is still underway to find the actress who will play the part of the young ballet dancing orphan.

The film is set to shoot in March 2011 for eight weeks in Paris’ Opera House, the city itself and the bordering areas. Three-time Academy Award winner Michel LeGrand (The Thomas Crown Affair) will score the film and Claude Bessy, former prima ballerina of the Paris Opera Ballet, will play herself and choreograph the dance sequences. The other cast members involved include Larrio Ekson (Aurore), Brigitte Maoti (Tony Zoreil), Daniel Downing and Jeanne Manson.

Michael Beyer (All in One Hand: The Pianist Paul Wittgenstein) will direct the film which is written by David Amory Lown (The Man Who Couldn’t Sleep) who also produces alongside Patricia Twohill Lown who tells IFTN that the funding for the film has come from Région Ile-de-France and private sources. The film’s director of photography and the film’s release date are TBC.

With regards Peter O’Toole’s role in the film producer Twohill Lown is full of praise for the Irish actor, telling us “when Peter read the script, he immediately fell in love with it. As you can imagine, Peter O'Toole does not need to audition - David did not have him in mind when he wrote it, but he is a perfect fit.”

Both David Amory Lown and Patricia Twohill Lown will be in attendance at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival to discuss ‘Jennifer and the Swan Boat’.

December 22, 2009

Holiday Hellraisers Contest!

Hey everyone! As promised, we have a little Hellraisers-related contest for you over the holidays.

I have a copy of Robert Seller's Hellraisers:The Life and Inebriated Times of Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole and Oliver Reed, (courtesy of St. Martin's Press) to give away to the first two readers who email me after 4pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) with the correct answer to the following question:

What are the names of Peter's children?

One book per winner, contest is limited to postal addresses in North America (Canada or the US please). You will be notified if you win and I will post the names of the winners here.

December 18, 2009

Hellraisers released in North America

Robert Sellers' book, "Hellraisers: The Life and Inebriated Times of Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole, and Oliver Reed" has been released in North America, finally. I've got a copy on order, I hope to post a capsule review shortly. Stay tuned for a Hellraisers-related contest in the next couple of weeks as well!

Also, the tiscali site has a rather extended biography of O'Toole posted - check it out. http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography/artist/peter-o-toole/biography/185?page=1

Not much in the casting details dept for God's Spy other than that Josh Lucas is in it, and the plot synopsis is "A Jesuit priest working undercover as a Wall Street trader becomes caught up in a political and financial conspiracy involving the Vatican Bank, the CIA, the Mafia, and Masonic Lodge P2" - sounds intriguing! More details as they come to light.

February 26, 2009

Dean Spanley review

“I HAVE heard it said that remarkable events often have ordinary beginnings. Never was this more true than of my Thursday.”
This opening line to Dean Spanley is actually a very accurate description of this film’s pace and narrative.

Directed by Toa Fraser, Dean Spanley is set in 1904 and stars Jeremy Northam as Henslowe Fisk, who decides to take his ailing father (Peter O’Toole) to a lecture on reincarnation, where they meet an enthusiastic Australian named Wrather (Bryan Brown).

Whilst attending the lecture, they become fascinated with Dean Spanley (Sam Neill) and when they meet again, they ask him to dinner, enticing him with a rare Hungarian wine named Imperial Tokay.

Over the course of the dinner, Spanley begins to recount what appear to be strange recollections of a past life. However, as his stories unfold, it becomes clear that Spanley and Fisk may share a closer connection than either of them realised.

It’s best to see Dean Spanley knowing as little about it as possible, since giving away any detail would ruin the film’s surprises.

The fantastically witty script takes a decidedly unexpected turn towards the end and that the payoff is both funny and emotionally moving.

Neill is exciting in the lead role (one of his best in years), delivering a performance that borders on the absurd, to the point where you can’t quite believe what you’re hearing.

Northam anchors the film with a typically solid performance, while there’s scene-stealing support from Brown and yet another powerfully moving performance from O’Toole.

Whilst watching Dean Spanley, you’re constantly waiting for something to happen, but you won’t quite believe it when it does.

To that end, the script crackles with great dialogue and layers in several lines and moments that will reward further viewings.

In short, Dean Spanley is funny, clever and generally moving. It’s also totally unlike any film you may have seen for quite some time.

O'Toole to play Symeon in film adaptation of "Mary, Mother of Christ"

Only two days after it was revealed that Al Pacino is to play King Lear in a new big-screen version of the play, Variety reports he is also in talks to play King Herod in the biblical tale Mary, Mother of Christ.

The project looks set to attract a high-profile cast, with Jessica Lange also considering the role of Anna the Prophetess. Peter O'Toole has already signed to play the elder, Symeon, while Jonathan Rhys Meyers will play both Gabriel and Lucifer.

Camille Belle, last seen battling anachronistic sabre-toothed tigers in Roland Emmerich's 10,000 BC, will take the title role. Argentine director Alejandro Agresti, who shot 2002's Valentin and 2006's The Lake House, is directing the film, which starts production in Morocco in May.

Film-makers such as Mel Gibson (The Passion of the Christ) have found huge success in recent years by producing films which capture the hearts and minds of religiously minded middle America, and Mary, Mother of Christ appears to be aimed at a similar target audience; studio MGM is planning to release the film in time for Good Friday, 2010.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/feb/06/pacino-in-talks-for-mary-mother-of-christ

November 19, 2008

LIFE Magazine image archives online via Google...

Fans will be interested to know that LIFE Magazine and Google have teamed up to put the magazine's image archive, dating back to 1750, online for the first time. 20% of the archive is online now so I thought I would head over and see if they had any Peter O'Toole images. Sure enough, they do!

November 10, 2008

A "Christmas Cottage" Contest!

OK! So, in the spirit of the season, and due to the generosity of Lionsgate Films, I am pleased to announce a little contest! I have four brand-new, shrinkwrapped copies of the DVD release, "Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage" to give away.

Nothing comes for free so entries need to include an answer to the following question:

"What sport has Peter O'Toole coached in his spare time?" - he may not currently be doing so but we know he has in the past!

The first FOUR correct entries will win a DVD of "Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage".

November 06, 2008

Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage comes to DVD next week!

O'Toole fans will be glad to hear that his 2008 film, "Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage" is being released on DVD next week.

"A look at the inspiration behind Thomas Kinkade's painting The Christmas Cottage, and how the artist was motivated to begin his career after discovering his mother was in danger of losing their family home."

Peter stars in the film as Glen Wessler, the artist who inspired Kinkade to create his famous painting.